The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released essential tips for saving energy and money this winter to help Americans best prepare and manage their energy usage in a variety of ways.
According to DOE, on average, energy-efficient improvements reduce heating bills by 32 percent, estimating a threefold return on money invested. DOE offers these tips to help families cut their energy consumption this winter:
- Seal and insulate your home. Many insulating projects are inexpensive and easy enough for the average homeowner to complete. Filling air furnace leaks, adding more insulation and sealing off exposed ducts can sharply reduce heating and cooling bills.
- Perform routine maintenance. Replace your home's air filter every month. Hire a contractor to tune-up your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit once a year. Regular maintenance will reduce immediate costs and help units last longer.
- Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat will keep your home at a lower temperature when you are not home, helping to reduce your energy bills.
- Conserve hot water. Air-dry dishes instead of running your dishwasher's heat cycle, take short showers instead of baths and wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. Saving water also saves money on energy used to heat it. Turn down the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees F.
- Look for ENERGY STAR appliances. DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the ENERGY STAR program, which evaluates buildings and home products for energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR products meet strict guidelines and can help save money and energy. If every homeowner installed just five ENERGY STAR lightbulbs, America would save $8 billion a year in energy costs.
- Watch your electronics. Turn off computers and monitors when you're not using them. Plug TVs and DVDs into power strips, then turn off the power strips when home electronics are not in use.
- Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving wastes gasoline. Using overdrive gears and
All the sudden awareness on this topic is many times a direct result of the intensive campaigns that environment organizations have put together. Apart from organizing workshops and conferences, these organizations published a large series of brochures and manuals that have turned out to be really helpful for the household users.
As a general rule, people have understood the importance of understanding and putting into practice the information they find in these manuals and many times they use them to guide themselves when it comes to purchasing a new appliance or to upgrade their heating system.
What the environmental institutions are trying to constantly underline is the fact that every small decision, such as a simple replacement of the light bulb, does in one way or another affect the environment. It is very important for people to understand that apart from the urban smog, acid rain, global warming etc, even the small decisions each and every one of us take every day, do influence, even if only in a small percentage, the evolution of the environment.
As a consequence, people need to mind small details such as turning off the light when they leave the room, turning down the heating system when they are not at home, purchasing only energy-efficient home appliances etc., because all these decision ad up and end up in producing great results for everybody, both because the bill amount for the everyday utilities is constantly going down and for environmental issues, as well.
As a final idea, keep in mind that reliable books and manuals on this subject, as well as brochures and other documentation materials are available in various places, including libraries and book stores.
Both Ron Roberts & Nicky Pilkington are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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